Sprite (Astronomy)

Sprites are massive but weak luminous flashes that appear directly above an active thunderstorm system and are coincident with cloud-to-ground or intracloud lightning strokes. Their spatial structures range from small single or multiple vertically elongated spots, to spots with faint extrusions above and below, to bright groupings which extend from the cloud tops to altitudes up to about 95 km. Sprites are predominantly red. The brightest region lies in the altitude range 65–75 km, above which there is often a faint red glow or wispy structure that extends to about 90 km.^[1] It is believed that sprites contribute to the earth's electromagnetic field, which protects it from the sun.

References[edit]

1. ↑ http://elf.gi.alaska.edu/